Spencer and Conner Munster are pictured with Wortham Judge Ray Jones. Their poster, which won the museum's contest, is about his grandfather Army Air Corp Medic Bartley Benjamin Livingston.

Courtesy photo

Prizes were awarded last week for the Freestone County Historical Museum's 50 Year Anniversary Poster Contest. Winners were awarded a pizza party and cash prizes. Spencer and Conner Munster, of Wortham, took home the first place prize with their poster about the World War II Army Air Corp Medic Bartley Benjamin Livingston.

The choral theater group was comprised of prisoners of war at Camp Mexia.

Photo courtesy of National Archives and Records Administration/Arnold Krammer

Many today don’t remember the German Prisoner of War Camp built between Mexia and Tehuacana on then U.S. 84 during World War II. It was built to accommodate some of the thousands of General Rommel’s elite Afrika Corps who were captured in the Middle East by British and U.S. Forces.
This was probably the best thing that ever happened to these German soldiers, who received possibly the best care they ever seen before. During the German soldiers stay they were very inventive and made their life more bearable, many very talented and their work remained here for many years after the war. It not unusual to see them doing farm work locally as many from the area left for the cities and defense work.

Although I didn’t participate in this I have always felt I probably would have if I had gone into the Army instead of the Navy and the Pacific. I had many friends who were. This was a surprise to the Allies and occurred in terrible winter weather with few of our troops having proper clothing or training, many suffered from frost bitten feet there and the rest of their lives.
Troops with no combat training were thrown in with very high casualties. In Woodland Cemetery many World War II veterans are buried, the only one known whose disinterred body is buried here lost his life in this battle. Ernest Orville Payne was born August, 31, 1925, to Charlie and Mae Bryson Payne in Streetman.